In My Eyes
by Child of Magick
Summary: With the help of a new student, the students of Hogwarts learn to get over their differences and band together when the need arises. The students are introduced to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and learn the new rules.
1. Chapter 1

So, despite being a die-hard LOTR fan---as seen by the copious amount of fan-fic I've done--- this little plot has been running in my head and now won't leave. So I present to you… my very first Harry Potter fan fiction!

Warnings: I've played with the story a bit. Yes, I know Dumbledore is dead and that Snape is gone. Big deal. That's why it's called 'fan' fiction. It's all in the mind of the fans. So nyaah.

Disclaimer: As always, none of these cool kids belong to me. Except Isolde. And she is cool. And mine. Everyone else is property of the immensely talented J.K Rowling.

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In My Eyes

Chapter 1: First Impressions

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Harry Potter had never been so happy in all of his sixteen years to see the crowded Platform Nine and Three Quarters. This past summer had been the worst one since he had began attending Hogwarts. His godfather Sirius was dead, and Hermione, Ron and Cho had all been too busy to write him very many letters. His contact with the wizarding world had been very limited indeed, and he had begun to suffer from symptoms of withdrawal. August couldn't have come any slower.

But now, here he was again, standing in the midst of an ever-growing crowd of students who were rushing about, saying goodbye to their families and trying to get all of their things in order to get on the train when it arrived. There were the Weasleys, being fussed over by their mother one last time before they left. Hermione was in the process of taking her ill-tempered cat, Crookshanks, from her father's arms while telling them a hurried goodbye. And then there was Cho Chang. _His _Cho. His girlfriend. She was standing beside him, her small hand slipped tightly into his.

However, something was wrong. Cho was nervous. She was _never _nervous. She was the coolest, calmest person he had ever met. In fact, he had never heard her raise her voice, not even on the Quidditch pitch. But she had been standing there for at least the last five minutes, if not longer, nervously tapping her foot and alternating her gaze between the large clock mounted on the wall and the rapidly growing crowd surrounding her.

Finally, she let out an exasperated sigh. "Where _is _she?" she mumbled in a worried tone, checking the clock yet again. "The train will be here in fifteen minutes. She can't stand to get somewhere any later than twenty minutes before she has to. No, this isn't like her at all!"

Harry frowned. "What are you talking about? Who is 'she'?"

But Cho wouldn't answer. She just continued to stare worriedly into the crowd, scanning each face that passed her by.

Cho had been telling Harry all summer how she couldn't wait to return to school for her sixth year, and how she had a surprise waiting for him on the first day back. He had been trying to coax hints out of her the entire, but had been unsuccessful. Whatever it was, Cho really wanted it to be a surprise. Now, however, it seemed as though her surprise was running late.

His eyes drifted to the clock that Cho had been watching relentlessly. There was eleven minutes left until the Hogwarts Express would be pulling into the station. He was about to suggest to Cho that the two of them get their carts and move closer so that they would be sure to get a compartment on the train that was free of people they had no desire to sit with when she suddenly leapt away from him with a happy shriek.

"Isolde!"

Harry could only blink as his girlfriend raced towards a girl that he had never seen before in his life who was looking around with a very lost look on her face and threw her arms around her. Harry could only surmise that this girl was the surprise that Cho had been waiting for.

He took a moment to study the newcomer as she and Cho happily reunited with one another, the girl looking extremely grateful to find a familiar face. She had long honey-blond hair that was gathered into millions of tiny braids that clicked together whenever she swung her head, and her eyes were the color of emeralds flecked with gold. Her skin was pale, though she seemed to have been spared the freckles that plagued every one of the Weasley children. Though Harry had never seen her before, she looked way too old to be a first year. His curiosity was piqued.

After a few more minutes of hugging and laughing, Cho returned to Harry's side beaming, the strange girl in tow. "Harry, I would like you to meet my best friend, Isolde O'Worley. Isolde, this is Harry Potter, my boyfriend."

The girl smiled as she reached out a hand, showing rows of perfectly white teeth. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said in a soft voice that was tinted with a heavy Irish accent. "Cho's told me so much about you."

"I wish I could say the same," Harry said in an embarrassed tone of voice as he took her hand. "But I'm afraid that Cho---"

"---wanted to keep me a secret," she replied with a grin and a sparkle in her eyes. "She told me that's what she was planning. You'll just have to excuse her. She's strange like that."

"I can't help it!" the Ravenclaw replied with a pout. "You know as well as I do that I've been looking forward to this day for the past five years. Besides, this gives me a chance to show you off to all of those people who I've talked about you non-stop to."

Isolde smiled at Harry as she rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose there are worse reputations I can have than Cho Chang's trophy friend."

This caused all three of them to burst into sudden laughter. Harry was already liking this new girl.

Right at that moment, a mournful whistle sounded, announcing the arrival of the Hogwarts Express, the train that would take them to Hogwarts.

Harry checked the clock again and smiled. _Right on time. _"So I take it Cho has explained everything to you, how it all works, since you're new to Hogwarts and all…" He let his statement hang in the air, hoping that she picked up on his implied question and offer an answer.

"Transfer," she answered simply with a smile. "And yes, Cho has explained everything to me. In detail. Quite a number of times. But thank you."

"Sure thing."

The next few moments were a blur to Harry. He got his cart full of luggage in line to be put on the train, making sure that his owl Hedwig had food and water and grabbing his carry-on. He said goodbye to Hermione's parents and Mrs. Weasley, who made a quick fuss over him before he could escape onto the train. Once onboard, he bid farewell to Ron and Hermione, who left to go sit with the rest of the prefects, before finding the compartment where Cho and Isolde had already settled and plopped down next to his girlfriend. "I don't think I've ever been so happy to be on the Express," he said in a relieved tone of voice.

Cho gave him a sympathetic smile and reached over to take his hand. "I imagine. I could tell by your letters that you were having a rough summer."

Harry let out a groan as he took off his glasses to rub his eyes with his free hand. "'Rough' doesn't even begin to describe my summer. It was positively rotten." He looked across the compartment at Isolde, who was sitting strait up, legs crossed, staring out the window. "I don't mean to pry, but where did you transfer from? I wasn't even aware that someone could transfer schools."

"Not very many people do transfer," Isolde explained. "In fact, I don't think there has been a transfer in quite some time. I come from a school in Ireland. I live in County Claire."

This caused Harry to frown. "Ireland? I didn't know there was a school in Ireland. I thought it was just the three."

"It's a private school. It's very small, exclusive. There are maybe sixty students there, with ten teachers." She gave him an embarrassed, almost apologetic smile. "I'm afraid my parents have quite a bit of money and influence."

"Oh." Harry blinked at this. "Then why did you decide to transfer to Hogwarts? I mean, isn't that an awfully long way away from home for you? And I would think that a private school would be… I dunno. Better?"

Isolde laughed. "Oh, it was the most boring place in the entire world! The teachers were strict, and nearly all of the students were stuck up, pretentious know-it-alls. I hardly had any friends at all. Besides, we had no Quidditch."

Harry brightened at the mention of his favorite sport. "So you play Quidditch?"

"Me? Oh no, no,no,no." Isolde shook her head, sending her millions of tiny braids clicking together. "I leave the actual playing to Cho. I just goof around, play a sort of 'backyard' Quidditch. I couldn't play on a real time if my life depended on it!"

"Don't believe a word she says," Cho chimed in with a protesting voice. "She's a pretty decent player, and she's wicked fast on a broom. I've been trying to convince her to try out for the Ravenclaw team all summer, but haven't had any luck so far."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this news. "You've already been sorted?"

The Irish girl nodded. "I cam up here for a day in the summer to get everything all straitened out. I must admit, I'd feel pretty out of place standing up there with all of those first years waiting to be sorted. Besides, that's their time to shine. I'm quite happy to blend into the background."

"I _knew _she's get into Ravenclaw," Cho said, beaming like a proud parent. "She's so smart. When we were younger, I'd always get angry because she would score higher than me on tests."

Harry couldn't help but grin. If Cho had been anything like she was now when she was a child, he could easily imagine what that had been like. The only thing that kept Cho and Hermione from being the best of friends was professional jealousy. Cho was smart, but Hermione was smarter. Though not so much smarter that she wouldn't spend hours studying for a Charms assignment simply on the basis that she wanted to score higher than Cho.

"Well, I must say that it really is an honor to finally get to meet you, Harry," Isolde said in her soft, lilting voice. "Thanks to Cho, I know everything about you. I also read the _Daily Prophet_" – here Harry closed his eyes and groaned, causing the Irish girl to grin – "though I learned long ago not to believe half of what they write."

"Thank goodness for that." Harry paused for a brief moment, then shrugged. "There's really not too much to me, especially if Cho has already given you my entire life history." He shot a quick wink at his girlfriend, who was blushing madly.

Here, Isolde's smile turned into a full-blown grin. "Well, Cho has been telling me that you're one of the greatest Quidditch players that Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Well, I uh…" Now it was Harry's turn to blush a deep scarlet as he pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "I wouldn't go so far as to say _that._"

Cho gave her boyfriend a smirk before turning back to her childhood friend, eyes twinkling. "Did I ever tell you about the time that Harry caught the snitch by _swallowing _it?"

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Harry hadn't realized how hungry he was until the snack cart begin making its rounds. At the sight of the piles of Chocolate Frogs and Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, his stomach let out a monstrous growl that he couldn't disguise, causing all three of the companions to laugh. Isolde bought a handful of the Chocolate Frogs, which she attacked with gusto while Cho and Harry looked on in amusement. "I just _love _these things!" she said around a full mouth. "We were only allowed to have them on holidays back at my old school."

Harry looked at her with wide eyes. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to only get to eat the treats a few times out of the year. "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said they were strict there."

"You have no idea," the new girl muttered.

The door to their compartment suddenly opened, and Ron and Hermione stepped in. Before anyone could exchange words of greeting, however, something large, black and furry landed squarely in Harry's lap, causing him to nearly drop his treacle tart in surprise.

Isolde couldn't help but laugh as the black cat deftly leapt from Harry's lap to land on hers. "Sorry about that. Causing trouble is his favorite pastime. I'm just glad he's not causing someone _else _trouble." She scratched the cat behind his ears, electing a contented purr from him. "Harry, I would like to introduce you to my other best friend. He was aptly named pickle, because he's always getting into some pickle or another."

"We wondered why he was following us down the corridor," Hermione said, plopping down next to Isolde. "Guess he knew we were coming to you. My cat does that sometimes." She promptly stuck out her hand. "I'm Hermione Granger. This is my, ah, boyfriend, Ron Weasley. We're the Gryffindor prefects."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Isolde said with a warm smile as she shook first Hermione's hand, then Ron's.

"I'm sorry that we can't stay to catch up," the red-headed boy said apologetically as Hermione stood once more. "We've got to patrol the train. But we just wanted to stop by and say hello, and that we'll talk more once we get back to Hogwarts."

"Sure thing," Harry said with a smile and a wave. "Thanks for stopping by."

Hermione and Ron waved in reply, then stepped out of the compartment before once again disappearing down the train's corridor.

Cho waited until she was sure they were out of earshot before bursting into giggles.

Harry turned to her, an amused look in his eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Hermione. She looks like she's just swallowed a whole glassful of curdled milk every time she introduces Ron to someone as her boyfriend."

Harry playfully punched her in the arm. "Hey now. Don't be so hard on her. If I remember correctly, you had a hard time calling _me _your boyfriend."

"I know. But that was for a _completely _different reason, and you know it. Hermione is just not the type of person to have a boyfriend. That's all."

"Just give her a little time. She'll get used to it. You'll see."

Isolde couldn't help but smile as she watched the couple mock fight while she absently scratched Pickle, who was lying in her lap, eyes closed, purring contentedly. It felt so good to see Cho happy once again.

Even though she lived a world away, Isolde had faithfully written to Cho every chance she got. And Cho had written her many letters in return, including the long, tear-stained letter that she had written about Cedric, the boy she had grown to care so much about who had died during the Triwizard Tournament.

Upon hearing this, Isolde wasted no time in packing up her things and telling her parents that she would be spending some time with Cho. Then she had stepped into the fireplace, threw down some Floo powder and was off.

For the next two weeks, Isolde never left her friend's side. Cho's parents were immensely grateful for the Irish girl's presence. Their daughter had grown distant, quiet, sad. She would rarely speak, and they could often hear her crying herself to sleep at night. They could only hope that Isolde would be able to bring back some of the daughter they had once known.

By the time Isolde left, Cho had begun resembling more of her old self, rather than a walking zombie. Isolde continued to visit her frequently during that summer, and did everything she could to comfort her dearest friend. But she had her doubts that Cho would ever be the same. She was only fourteen, and her heart had been broken. What kind of scars would that leave?

So it was with a happy heart that, not too long after school resumed, Cho's letters began to talk of a boy named Harry Potter. Of course, Isolde knew who Harry Potter was. Who in the wizarding world didn't? But Cho's letters didn't describe what it was like to be around the famous Boy Who Lived. These letters were filled with something different. Something much more personal.

At first, Cho's letters lashed out at Harry. In her heart, she had known that it was Lord Voldermort who had killed Cedric. But Harry was real. He was close. And he was someone she could blame, because he had lived, while Cedric had not.

It wasn't long before the tone of the letters began to change. Cho wanted to hate Harry, she really did. But she couldn't. Ever since school had started back, he had gone out of his way to be extra nice to her, to make sure that she was all right. He had apologized for Cedric's death over and over, saying how he would have given anything to save the Ravenclaw boy's life. It wasn't long after that that Cho's letters began to talk of how much she was beginning to like Harry. Then one day, she finally received the letter from Cho that said Harry had asked her out.

At first, Isolde had been worried. What if Harry was just doing this out of guilt or sympathy and really didn't care for Cho? What if he just ended up leaving her? At the age of fifteen, could she handle her heart being broken twice?

As time went on, however, she began to realize that her fears had been unfounded. Every letter from Cho had some new and wonderful thing that Harry had done or said. And when Isolde had saw her for the first time after she and Harry had begun dating, Cho was positively glowing. A year later, things seemed to still be perfect between the two.

And now that she had actually seen the two of them together, Isolde was very glad that it had been Harry Potter who had captured Cho's heart.

Pickle suddenly jumped to the floor from her lap, startling her back into reality. As she blinked back into awareness, she noticed that Cho now had her head resting on Harry's shoulder, and the sun had sunk a little farther than she had remembered.

Harry caught her eye and smiled at her. "Are you excited to be coming to Hogwarts?" he asked in a soft voice. "It sounds like it's going to be a lot different from your other school."

The Irish girl nodded enthusiastically. "I'm _very _excited about going to Hogwarts. I've _always _wanted to go to Hogwarts – not only was Cho there, but my mother went there as well – but my father refused. He wanted me to have a 'real' education, and was afraid that I would spend more time with my friends than I would studying if I came here."

"What made him change his mind?"

"Lots of begging and pleading." This came from Cho, which surprised Harry. He had thought that his girlfriend had fallen asleep. "Isolde was the head of her class back in Ireland. Even her professors had begun sending letters home saying there wasn't much else they could teach her. So she, her mother and myself all went to her father and began begging him to let her go to Hogwarts. After all, the main reason he had sent her to the private school was so she could get what he called a "proper" education. And since it was clear she had gotten that, we said it was time for her to go to a place where she could have more social interactions."

"I take it he gave in."

"He didn't have much of a choice," Isolde said with a laugh. "Think about it. If you had three very strong-willed women come up to you and start begging – and I do mean begging – you to do something, what would _you _have done?"

Harry had to nod. 'Point taken."

"I've been waiting my whole life for this," Isolde said in a soft voice. "Here I have friends, I have Quidditch and I can have some fun."

Cho started to say something, but was cut off by the mournful whistle of the Hogwarts Express blowing once more. When she turned to face her friend once more there was a smile there and her eyes were glittering.

"It looks like your wait is over," she said in an excited tone of voice. "We're here!"


	2. Welcome!

Just a quick note: I know this has an OC in it and yes, there will be an OC romance, but this is _not _a Mary-Sue. At least, I try really hard not to make my stories Mary-Sues. Personally, I hate them. If they're _really _well written, I'll read them. If not, I stay far away. So please don't let an OC scare you off. I just like adding an element of my own to my stories. That being said, please feel free to review. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, they do not belong to me.

In My Eyes

Chapter 2: Welcome!

The first thing that Isolde did when she stepped off the train was stare up at the school with a sense of awe. "I can't believe I'm actually here," she said in a whisper, as if talking too loud would shatter everything. "Even when I was here during the summer and actually registering and getting sorted, it didn't seem possible. I feel like I'm in a dream." She suddenly turned onto the couple with a wild grin. "If that's the case, then please don't wake me up."

Cho laughed. "Don't worry. I have no desire for you to wake up, either. _I _don't want to wake up! In case you forgot, I've been waiting for this day just as long as you have."

"Well, let's stop worrying about dreaming and grab ourselves a carriage." Harry slid an arm around Cho's waist. "C'mon. I don't want to get stuck in a carriage full of Slytherins."

"First years!" came a voice from the crowd that they recognized as Hermione's. "First years, this way! Come along now!"

The three of them had no trouble finding a carriage that was empty and available. Harry held open the door for the girls, and helped both of them in before climbing in himself.

Isolde lifted an eyebrow at Cho as the carriage began rumbling towards the castle. "And they say chivalry is dead. You better keep a tight grip on him, Cho. I might decide to start 'borrowing' him from time to time if he keeps this up."

"You'll have to fight me for him," the Oriental girl said airily as she took Harry's hand in her own. "And I will warn you now, I'm as tough as a cat!"

As the two girls broke out into laughter, Harry couldn't help but blush. He'd never had anyone fight over him, _especially _not two pretty girls!

As Cho turned her admiring gaze onto her boyfriend, Isolde looked back out of the window and up at the softly glowing castle. She didn't want to take her eyes off of it. She was afraid that, if she did, she would realize it was all a dream and wake up in her sparse dorm back in Ireland. It was easily the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

When she had seen Hogwarts for the first time during the summer, she had never in her wildest dreams imagined it looking so grand, despite what her mother and Cho had told her. The entire time she had been there, getting her classes in order, being sorted and meeting professors, she hadn't been able to stop looking around in amazement. Her school in Ireland had _nothing _on this!

And now, as she was seeing it for the first time at night, it was no less beautiful, no less grand. She couldn't _wait _to get inside!

"Well?" came Cho's voice, with a hint of a grin. "You're almost there. Are you excited?"

"You have no idea," the Irish girl breathed, still refusing to take her eyes off of the magnificent sight in front of her. "I've been waiting for this day my whole life."

"Me, too," Cho replied softly. "Me, too."

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It didn't take long for the stream of carriages to reach the massive front doors of Hogwarts. Other students were already walking into the castle, talking excitedly to classmates they had not seen since the end of the term. Harry tried to be gallant again, but Isolde had scrambled out of the carriage before it had come to a complete stop. Shooting Cho and amused smile, he climbed out and offered a helping hand to his girlfriend.

Isolde simply stood there, gawking up at the castle just like everybody else did the first time they walked through those doors. Walking up to her, Cho playfully nudged her best friend in the arm. "I'd close my mouth if I were you. There's no telling _what _you're likely to swallow out here. Now, come on. We've got to get seated before the first years arrive."

That was enough to spur Isolde into action. After waiting for this moment nearly all of her life, the Irish girl was more than ready to dive into her Hogwarts experience. She immediately closed her mouth and moved to Cho's side.

The Oriental girl couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. _She's acting just like a kid at Christmas! _"Shall we?"

With a smile, Harry offered her his arm. "Yes. Let's." Remembering his manners, he turned and offered his free arm to the Irish girl. "Isolde? May I?"

Giving him a dazzling smile, Isolde gracefully slid her arm through his. "Thank you, Harry. That's sweet of you." She gave her friend a wink. _Yes, _she thought happily. _Cho has found herself a good one. _

So, with the three of them linked arm in arm, they swept through the front doors.

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As it had every year since he had begun attending, the Great Hall was magnificently decorated as Harry entered with the girls. He walked the over to the Ravenclaw table, giving Cho a goodbye kiss before heading off to join his fellow Gryffindors.

Neville and Seamus were already seated. Harry took a seat across from them, leaving enough room on the bench next to him for Ron and Hermione, who would be joining them once all of the first years had reached the castle.

"Hello, Harry!" Neville called cheerfully as he took his seat. "How was your summer?"

"Happily over," he answered truthfully, reaching for a drink. The food would come later, once the first years had been seated and the welcome speech had been given. "I was seriously thinking about doing something drastic if August didn't hurry up and get here."

"I know what you mean," Neville said in a sympathetic voice. "I thought I was going to have to kill my Gram. Or that she was going to have to kill me!"

"Well, thankfully, it's all over." Harry turned to his other friend. "How about you, Seamus? How was your summer? Seamus?"

But the Irish Gryffindor wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was turned around in his chair, eyes focused on the Ravenclaw table. When he finally did turn to Harry, his eyes held a bright spark. "Who's that new girl you came in with?" he asked in a low voice. "The one sitting with Cho?"

"They're best friends. Her name is Isolde. She just transferred here from Ireland."

Seamus brightened at this news. "Ireland, did you say?" And with that, he was turned around in his seat once again.

Harry exchanged a grin with Neville as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice. Seamus had garnered a bit of a reputation as a ladies man, moving from one girl to the next as he saw fit. It came as little surprise that he would be drawn to a new girl, especially when he learned that they came from the same country.

A thump from Harry's right caused him to turn around just as Hermione reached for a goblet of pumpkin juice. "Hey, guys!" he said in a bright tone of voice. "Did you manage to get all of the first years together?"

"It took us long enough," Ron answered for his girlfriend, who was already nearly through the contents of her goblet. "There are a _ton _of them this year!"

"And Draco Malfoy wasn't helping a bit," Hermione said irritably, putting her goblet back down and wiping her mouth. "He was having a bit of 'fun' and directed some poor kids all over the grounds. We found two of the kids crying behind the castle, totally lost because that's where Draco told them to go." She made a face. "One day, I hope that guy finds himself in hot water so deep his Daddy and his connections can't get him out of. And I sincerely hope that I am there to see it."

Harry couldn't help but grin. "Some things will never change," he said. "Draco Malfoy will always be a jerk, and we will always hate him."

Ron raised his goblet in a toast. "Here, here!" he proclaimed before taking a long drink himself.

Harry took another drink as his gaze wandered over to the Slytherin table where the blond prefect was laughing with his friends, probably at someone else's expense. Called the Slytherin Prince by the other students of his house, Draco had rightfully earned the title. He was cunning, sneaky, ambitious and a coward. To Harry and his friends he was the embodiment of pure evil. Harry seriously doubted there was a good bone anywhere in his body.

"So tell us about this new girl," Hermione said, turning to face Harry. Her faced was flushed---Draco Malfoy always managed to get her riled up--- but it was relaxed. What had happened had happened and there was nothing she could do about it. "She seemed pretty nice when we were on the train. Where is she from?"

"Ireland," Harry answered, noting with a grin that both Neville and Seamus were now leaning forward. Though Neville had been dating a nice girl from Hufflpuff, he still could admire a pretty girl. Especially one he knew nothing about. "She said she transferred from some private school there."

Seamus frowned. "A private school, did you say? That's funny. I've never heard of one."

"She just said that it was an elite school. That her parents had a good amount of influence."

There was a pause, then Seamus shrugged. "Who knows? In Ireland, nearly everyone has magical talent. If not, then they know someone who does. There's probably private schools all over the place that I've never heard of. I'm still surprised that Ireland doesn't have a school of its own. I asked my Mum about that once. She said there had been talks once of opening one, but too many parents wanted to send their kids to Dumbledore. Which is why I'm here."

"I guess that would make sense," said Ron. "And that would explain the private schools. The one's that didn't want to send their kids all the way to England could start them up. The parents like Isolde's, who have 'influence', probably would have no trouble finding teachers. Especially if nearly everyone is a witch or wizard."

Seamus winked as he leveled a finger at Ron. "Exactly."

Before anyone else could say anything, the double doors at the end of the hall were flung open and a hush fell over the crowd as nearly seventy first years – the most Harry had ever seen – filed into the Great Hall behind Professor McGonagall. They were all dead quiet, looking around them in a wide-eyed mixture of awe and fear.

Harry couldn't help but grin. He could remember a time, not too long ago, when he had had that same look in _his _eyes.

McGonagall, with the same precise march she used in her classroom to command attention, strode up to the front of the room where the Sorting Hat sat in its usual place atop a wooden stool. Without any preamble she stopped, picked up a scroll that had the students' names written on it, and called out "Iancu Amberly!" which caused a very frightened looking young boy to meekly approach the stool and timidly sit down. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head, and a moment later "Hufflpuff!" was resounding throughout the room. The Hufflpuff table erupted into cheers and the boy, now looking relieved, ran to join his new housemates.

And so it went on for the next twenty-five minutes or so: the first year went and sat on the stool, the Sorting Hat was placed upon his or her head, their house would be announced and the table that seated students already in that house would erupt into cheers. It finally ended when a tall, very blond, very skinny girl named Holly Zhan was placed into Slytherin. McGonagall then rolled up the scroll, picked up the stool and the hat, then stepped out of the way as Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, stepped up behind the podium. "Welcome," he called out in a voice that was raspy and yet managed to carry over a room packed with kids, "to another year at Hogwarts! Returning students, and those that are joining us for the first time, I wish you all a good year as you diligently work hard at your academics."

He paused just long enough for the obligatory chuckles to die down. "First, some introductions are in order. Professor Boyer, would you please stand up?"

Behind Dumbledore, a young woman who had been sitting next to Professor Snape at the head table, stood.

If Harry hadn't been so fixated on her, he would have heard every male in the room gasp.

She had long, luxurious red hair that reached down to her waist, and bright green eyes that seemed to sparkle with a light of their own. She was slim, and her robes were cut so that they showed off slender legs and hugged all the right curves in all the right places.

"She's bloody beautiful," Ron breathed, which earned him a swift elbow in the side and a pained look from Hermione. Normally, Harry would've laughed at his friend, but not this time. She _was _beautiful. He was just glad Cho was safely across the room.

"Students, I would like to introduce you to Professor Sophie Boyer, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Polite clapping came from around the room, mostly from guys who were trying their hardest not to whistle. Girls were sitting, arms crossed, glaring at their respective boyfriends. The woman offered a cool smile and dipped her head before gracefully sitting back down.

Harry did not doubt one bit that every male student was suddenly looking forward to taking Defense Against the Dark Arts that year.

"Also, a few rules are in order. Curfew is the same as last year – 1 a.m. – but I wouldn't be caught wandering the halls after hours. Curfew is going to be strictly enforced and anyone caught will be subjected to harsh punishment. Also, no one is allowed to leave the grounds of Hogwarts without the express permission of a teacher. Again, anyone caught breaking this will be dealt with severely. Is everyone clear?"

Silence greeted him.

A smile crossed the old wizard's face. "Good! Now, with that being said…" He clapped his hands twice and the tables were suddenly laden with all kinds of food: turkey, berries, vegetables, fruits, sweets and sandwiches were all present. Gasps of amazement and delight rose from the first years.

"Let the feast begin!"


End file.
